Leading UK-based international architects RMJM and The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust have ramped up their search for talented young designers with the appointment of Project Manager Veda Harrison to lead the 'Architecture for Everyone' campaign.
The £1million campaign is seeking the "Lewis Hamiltons of architecture" - home grown rising stars who will be nurtured and developed by leading architecture and design firm RMJM, in the same way that Hamilton grew with McLaren. The project encourages young people from under-represented groups to explore the possibilities of working in the architecture profession, with workshops being held in deprived inner cities throughout the UK.
As part of the campaign, a national competition will identify six of the most promising individuals who will win an intensive architecture foundation course at Harvard Graduate School of Design in Boston, USA.
Veda Harrison joins the campaign with over fifteen years experience in the field of education, media and the arts, and previously worked for NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). Harrison will be responsible for delivering the series of Architecture for Everyone workshops, designed by RMJM and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, set to commence during Spring 2009 in Britain's inner cities. The six young architects will be chosen by a panel of leading architects, writers, artists and commentators and will be announced in May 2009.
The initiative was set up in memory of the young black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, whose career goal was to become an architect before he was killed in a racially motivated attack 15 years ago.
Veda Harrison said: "The aim of Architecture for Everyone is to foster the talent of budding young architects and designers from backgrounds that are not traditionally represented in the UK profession. Having contact with industry specialists can give young people a clearer vision of how to progress their careers; in the same way that motor racing champion Lewis Hamilton was given the opportunity to fulfil his dreams by being exposed to and nurtured by the McLaren team from a young age."
On 10th November 2008 stars from the world of sport, media and government, including: Patron, Jon Snow; Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith; Nancy Dell'Olio and over 350 guests, attended the Trust's Building Futures fundraising ball, hosted by BBC Radio 1's Spoony, to raise funds for the Trust's education programme.
Over the course of her three year appointment as Project Manager at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford, Harrison will organize workshops throughout the UK in more alternative locations, such as industrial warehouses or club venues. Although they will be delivered in partnership with universities and colleges, holding the workshops in less traditional venues aims to appeal to those who might feel disenfranchised from the traditional education system.
"In spite of the economic downturn, it is crucial that we keep planning for the future. Addressing the issue of diversity in architecture is, I believe, the starting point for making sure that the built environment supports cohesion in communities," said Peter Morrison, CEO of RMJM.
"Architecture is often considered to be a 'social science' - it has to do with people - as individuals and in groups. If sections of society are excluded from architecture then we cannot hope to address their needs. Architecture for Everyone is about creating opportunities for young people and, by doing so, we also hope the campaign encourages those working in the built environment to ensure that young people from all backgrounds are given the level of support they need to progress within the industry."
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Moira Lascelles: +44 (0)20 7392 1997, moira@ing-media.com